Sonar Timbales

NOTES

This is a simple jam using only three samples; a simple sonar - submarine sound, a 'ding' and a steely crashing sound. In it, I've used patterns to alter the volume and pitch of two of the sounds; one of them every time it loops through from end to end, and the other on a fairly short interval. The result is the unpredictable but still rhythmically constant noise that drives the piece on. Of course, the mp3 here is only a 30 second sample; in the first 15 seconds of the mp3, I've just let it play on its own; in the next 15 seconds I use the joystick to modify pitch, while using the twist to modify pan. You should hear the stereo imaging when you use stereo speakers.

PLAYING TIPS

The two sounds with patterns attached to them are both disconnected from the joystick: when I play, I tend to reduce the sensitivity of the joystick x and y axis, and I often turn off relative mode for the stick; this allows me to use the stick to 'bounce' the change in frequency from neutral. Towards the end of the sample, you'll hear me pitching the joystick-connected sound up and down, letting it sit there for a few moments. The jump file is in pan mode, but you could try it in 3D mode as well; the three looptracks are in A, C and E; I often use the top (or bottom) of the looptracks for the rhythmic core of my piece: you might want to experiment with loading sounds into channels above G, playing them as one-shots to punctuate the industrial background that this jam provides.

USING THE JUMP FILE

First, download the jump file by clicking on the link above. Once the file has downloaded to your hard drive, unzip it using WinZip or another unzipping utility. The unzipped file is a folder with 4 files in it; three wave files and a jump (.jmp) file. This can reside anywhere on your hard drive, but you must keep the jump file and the wave files together. They can, however, be moved into other folders with other wave files and jump files.

Once you have the folder unzipped, and with Jambient running, choose the Save/Open button at the top of the main panel; in the dialog that appears, choose "Open", and designate 'jump files' in the popup as the file type. Navigate to where the jump file you just unzipped is; open it.

The sound will load in, and the settings for the looptracks will be set; it should play right away, but you may want to turn looptracks off and on using the play buttons for individual looptracks.